Its been a long time since I've logged onto the forum. So far everyone who has heard my M3s has been impressed with it's ability to output music with clarity. Good job on that.

I was surprised to see that Axiom has a new omni directional speaker the LFR1100.

Why?...because I have been using Definitive Technology's BP6B bipole speaker for quite a long time; first as a stereo speaker and later two pairs of them to fill the role of Front-and-Side Right-and-Left for my home cinema. So I assume that bi-polar speakers have been in the market for quiet a while.

So has anyone listened and done a review on the LFR1100's? So what Axiom's philosophy behind the design of these speakers? Is it likely that these will replace the conventional design of stereo speakers or will they be maybe used maybe elite stereo systems?

Also, I remember that Def Tec (no pun intended) had advised of the suitability of using the BP6B bi-polar as a surround speaker. Has anyone compared using bi-polar speakers compared to axiom's QS4, QS8 surrounds or bookshelf speakers for surround and found any differences?

So has anyone listened and done a review on the LFR1100's? So what Axiom's philosophy behind the design of these speakers? Is it likely that these will replace the conventional design of stereo speakers or will they be maybe used maybe elite stereo systems?

Regards,Clovis

Clovis, there is a very limited number of people on the forum who have heard these speakers in person. The first batch haven't been shipped yet, they just got done manufacturing the first batch last week. I think in a couple weeks there will be a couple of people that could give you some first hand experiences with these speakers, but right now i think it it just too early.

The thread Alex linked is probably the best source of information, since it includes commentary from both Ian and Andrew on the design.

I think there is a pretty fundamental difference between Axiom's design and the one from Def Tech. Namely, Axiom's DSP unit (and required wiring) not only makes the LFR1100 more like an Active loudspeaker design, but also deliberately calibrates the rear-firing drivers differently than the front-firing ones. It seems quite a bit more sophisticated to me.

Clovis, welcome back. The thread mentioned does have much irrelevant material, but you might just scan the last 4-5 months for posts only by Ian or Andrew. Easier would be to check the "Blog" page at the top, as Ken mentioned. In March-April there were three discussions by Andrew covering various aspects of the LFR1100s.

Yes, although these appear superficially similar to older designs such as those used by DefTec, as was already pointed out by Tom, there's a significant difference. The older designs sent the same sounds to the front and back drivers, which caused interference when they met and reduced sound quality. The LFR1100s use a separate DSP processing box to modify the frequency and level of the content sent to the back drivers to compensate for these effects, which is said to result in significantly better reproduction.

Is the DSP also an active crossover? Might seem like a stupid question, but I don't see any gold metal links connecting the two bi-wire terminals like the M80s. It looks like new towers require bi-amping.

No, it's not. And yes, they kind of do--the DSP connects between the pre-amp and the amp, and sends different signals to the back and the front speakers. Hence the need for two amps per speaker, and the 2 sets of posts.